Improvement in water-wheels



2 Sheets--Shee-t 11 E. L. SMALL.

Improvement in Water '-Wheels.

Patented April 25,1871.

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Patented April 25,1871.

E PH'nAiM L. SMALL, or ringe-ang,

ori-io.

Letters raient No. 114,211daad Annet; 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN lWATER-WHEELS. ,V

The Schedule rei'erred to in these Letters .Patentland makingpaxt of thesame.

in the county of Champaign and State of Ohio, have invented a new andimproved Direct-Action Triple- Vent Water-Wheel; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing .making a part ot' thisspecification, 'in which- Figure l is a top View of the case;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section and wheel; i

Figure 3 is a sectional central elevation;

, Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the bucket; and

Figure 5is a perspective view of the gate.

This invention relates to awater-wheel constructed nn the theory thatall the eect produced by the water is due to its direct action on thebuckets, the idea that there is' a reactive force being a mistaken one,the fact being that, after its direct action has ceased, the Water issimply a dead weight on the wheel, andshonldbe gotten'ridof as quicklyas possible.

The invention therefore consists in such a construction of the gates,chutes, wheel, and case as facilitates, to the greatest extent, bot-hthe direct action oi' the water and its escape from the wheel after thedirect action has ceased.

Referring to the drawinga, figs. 2 and 3, alle the stationary'blocksplaced between the upper and lower plates ofthe case, and havingrbetween them the chutes l).

The longer sides of the chutes are tangential'to the wheel, and,consequently, conduct the water square againstthe buckets.

The shorter sides of the chiites are inclined toward the longer sides asthey approach the wheel up to the points c, from which points theshorter sides-arc parallel with the longer ones, and at adistancetherefrom equal to the width of the front flanges ofthe buckets.

This construction brings the point 0i con'ipression in each chute nextto the wheel, and therefore causes the water to be delivered in a solidbody to the bucket without spreadl'ig, and in a condition todproducc thebest eii'ect. Friction is also confined chiefly to the parallelsidcsofthe chutes.

The buckets are constructed with a vertical front flange, d, a verticalside llangc, c, and an inclined bottoni ila-nge, f. n

The front flanges el are oi' the saine width as the inner mouths of thechutes, and stand in radial lilies relatively to the wheel, and,consequently, they stand at right angles to the line of entrance ol' thewater;

through `*the case or,'in other words, receive the impact of the lattersquarely. p

The side and bottom lianges e f serve to hold the water long enough incontact with the front anges to cause it to expend'its force thereuponwithout spreading or flying o".

lfhe side anges stand atan angle equal to onehalf the width of the frontflanges, so as to give the water vent toward the center `of the wheelwhen necessary, and the bottom flanges are inclined downward bothlongitudinally and transversely,l so. as to give'ample vent at thebottom.

The measure of thelongitudinal pitch of the bottom flanges is one-halfthe width of the side anges,

and the measure of their transverse pitch is one-halt' the width ofthefront ilanges. l

. The lower-,ring g stands olf from the inner edge of the bottom `platea distance equal tothe width ofthe front ianges clso as to allow theWater that falls from the bottoni llanges, under the centrifugal actionofthe wheel, a suicieut opportunity for escape.

The gates h, gs.,2, 3, and 5, are cylindrical blocks, with taperingopenings il located between the blocks a, and having their seats in saidblocks .and in the upper'and lower plates.

The gates h are made to rotate on their truunions by any'suitable means.When closing they do not displace the water, nor are'they at all liableto be affected in their movements by the water operating entirelyindependent thereof. As long as they are in any degree open the gatesdirect the water against the tangential sides of the chutes. Having thusdescribed my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire Letters Patent, is

l. The chutes b, having their longer sides tangential to the wheel andthe parallel parts oftheil shorter sides at a distance from the longersides equal to the width of the front ilanges d, and their narrowestparts or points oi' compression next to the wheel, as specilied.

2. rlhe bucket, composed of the vertical flanges d c standingr at anglesto each other, the former standing in lines radial to the wheel, and thebottom ilange f inclined downward and outward, both longitudinally andtransversely, as described.

to secure by 3. The gate h, provided with the tapering openingI i, andplaced between the blocks a, as explained.

Witnesses: E. L. SMALL.

SoLoN C. KEMON, '.liros. l). D. OUnANn.

